Between Christmas and New Year, we're taking a look back at some of our most popular stories of the year – today, we look at the country houses that have…
Architecture
In the cathedral’s shadow: The Cathedral Close, Wells
The splendours of Wells Cathedral can easily distract from the astonishing architecture that surrounds it. In the second of two articles, John Goodall describes the remarkable history of the precinct.
Wells Cathedral, Somerset: A symphony of architecture
In the first of two articles, John Goodall describes the architectural development of Wells and the struggle of its late-medieval clergy to win the church its now-familiar status as a…
Christmas at Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, France
A forest of star-spangled Christmas trees lines the carriageway to the swagged and beribboned entrance of 17th-century Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte which hosts an annual festive extravaganza, finds Jacky Hobbs.
‘It’s all about wonder and to look, to be able to ponder’ – the story behind spectacular nativity scenes
Each December, a newborn baby takes centre stage in Nativity scenes throughout the land. Julie Harding meets those responsible for bringing the Christmas story to life.
Cesky Krumlov Castle’s exquisite theatre: The scene of princely diversion
The object of a heroic recent restoration, the 1760s theatre at Cesky Krumlov carries the modern visitor back into the Baroque world. In the second of two articles on the…
Cesky Krumlov: Inside one of Europe’s greatest castles
Cesky Krumlov Castle was extravagantly remodelled in the 18th-century. In the first of two articles, John Goodall considers its development and spectacular interiors.
Children’s visions of the perfect future house, as rendered by a professional architect
Ten brilliantly imaginative children's ideas for houses of the future have been turned into modern 3D models to get a sense of what they'd really be like – and the results…
Shanks House: A model restoration of a magnificent Georgian home
The exemplary restoration of this magnificent house has reintegrated a complex building into a single and coherent modern home, as John Martin Robinson explains. Photographs by Paul Highnam.
Listed buildings: Saving the history on your doorstep
This year is the 70th anniversary of the Town and Country Planning Act 1947, which laid the foundation for the modern system of listing buildings. Roger Bowdler of Historic England…
Upmeads: A Modernist castle as odd and beguiling today as ever
Boldly conceived by a leading shoe manufacturer and his wife in 1908, this house, recently restored, elicited much comment, as Oliver Gerrish explains.
Remembering the fallen: The world’s war memorials
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission celebrates its centenary this year. Gavin Stamp contextualises its work by looking at the way in which other nations commemorated their dead.
Thrumpton Hall, Nottinghamshire: A treasure on the Trent
A surviving collection of personal letters sheds a fascinating light on 18th-century life in this fine Jacobean house. John Goodall examines the development of the building.
Britain’s great railway stations: Victorian eclecticism, modern genius and one that is a true work of art
Simon Jenkins lauds our most romantic and architecturally significant railway stations, some of the unsung triumphs of British conservation.
Ashby St Legers: A spectacular house where the Gunpowder Plot was hatched
The pretty village of Ashby St Ledgers in Northamptonshire takes its curious name from the dedication of the parish church to a 7th-century martyr and Bishop of Autun, St Leodegar.…
The Country House Library: Why these rooms and their collections need to be taken much more seriously
A new account of the country-house library will compel us all to reassess these rooms and their collections, says John Goodall.
Magisterial and picturesque: The Master’s Lodge at St John’s College, Cambridge
Between 1863 and 1865, Sir George Gilbert Scott created a new lodge for the Master of St John’s College, Cambridge. Following its recent restoration, Jeremy Musson tells the story of…
Cumberland Lodge: The 17th century marvel ‘a thousand times more agreeable than Blenheim’
This year, a remarkable educational foundation in a spectacular parkland setting celebrates its 70th anniversary. John Goodall considers the history of the building it occupies in the Great Park at…
The Queen’s House, Greenwich: A royal villa of global significance housing a world-class art collection
In preparation for its 400th anniversary last year, the Queen’s House underwent a major refurbishment and re-hang. Harry Mount looks at the history of this remarkable building and its recent…
The most haunted houses that you can visit in England and Wales
Ghosts and country houses go together like strawberries and cream. We name some of the country's best known haunted houses that you can actually visit.